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Iran Navy seeks to develop Makkan Coasts which it historically had ignored or underutilized.

IMO more indication that Iran's anti-USN, anti-Aircraft Carrier strategeery is too contain or isolate any US or US-led intervening = invasion? forces to outside the Persian Gulf AMAP ALAP where they can be attacked by Iran's LR Conventional Airpower + LRBMS [TLCMS, SCUDS, DF-21's or Copy]. DESPITE THEIR PAST RHETORIC TO THE CONTRARY, IRAN'S MULLAHS WOULD LIKE THEIR ANTI-INVASION/GROUND WAR "LAST-RESORT" OPTION OF DETONATING NUKES-WMDS ON IRANIAN SOIL DOESN'T OCCUR AMAP ALAP.

By the same token, its prolly safe to say that in any US-Iran war, the USN Fifth Fleet Base, HQ at Bahrain will Iran's first target in Preemptive or Conventional, Limited TacNuke? "First-Strike"???

Broadly true asper China's influence in Indian Ocean + IOR Trade, but we must remember that in China's = Beijing's mind IT WON'T MEAN ANYTHING WIDOUT THEIR DE FACTO CONTROL OF TAIWAN UP IN NE ASIA. China's "post-US", future "World #1", "Manifest Destiny" + its "String of Pearls/Turtles of War" strategy is based on their control of Taiwan.

TAIWAN = APEX/TIP OF THEIR TAIWAN-HAINAN-GWADAR GEOPOL TRIANGLE. NO TAIWAN = NO POST-US
"MANIFEST DESTINY" FOR CHINA, at least for most or all of the 21st century.

WID REUNIFICATION WID TAIWAN STALLED, THAT MOVES THE ISSUE OF WHOM CONTROLS TAIWAN MORE TO THE MILITARY SIDE, VIA ACT OF WAR.